Aberfoyle Golf & Country Lodge: A hidden little haven

09 Feb, 2018 - 00:02 0 Views

eBusiness Weekly

Tawanda Musarurwa
Located somewhere in the depths of the Eastern Highlands is a quiet and tranquil little sanctuary that goes by the name Aberfoyle Golf and Country Lodge.

It’s not a place you would simply bump into during an escapade of the area, but one that would take some deliberate effort to find.

If you put enough effort to find it, trust this writer, you will not be disappointed.

Nestled among the green hills of the Eastern Highlands tea estates, Aberfoyle Lodge can best be described as a “hidden little haven”.

Able to accommodate up to 30 people at a time, the venue is particularly ideal for pleasure trips and special occasions by families, friends and small groups.

Their rates are a bit on the premium side, but an experience of their quality service tells you it’s worth it. The lodge’s distinctive positioning, the climate and the spectacular environs makes for an enriching holiday.

One of the Lodge’s managers Georgie Atkins said they offer a “unique bed and breakfast service”, and recent booking trends seem to confirm this view.

“Birding season has just started and we expect to get a lot of birders from around the world. In terms of our long-term strategy we are trying to target the birding market in South Africa.” said Ms Atkins.

The lodge’s guest rooms with their different designs have a general feel of homely ambience.

Aberfoyle’s guest rooms each have different configurations, namely the ‘Sunbird’ (twin beds with bathroom en-suite, ‘Greyheaded Bushshrike’ (double bed with bathroom en-suite), ‘Rock Kestrel (double bed, two single beds and bathroom), ‘Vanga Flycatcher’ (double bed, two single beds and bathroom), ‘Malachite Kingfisher’ (double bed, two single beds and bathroom), ‘Marsh Tchagra (twin beds with en-suite bathroom), ‘Black Cuckooshrike (double bed, two single beds and bathroom), ‘Trumpeter Hornbill’ (double bedroom, two single beds, bathroom, lounge and fireplace), and their executive suite the ‘Fish Eagle’ (queen size bed and two single beds, separate lounge, fireplace and bathroom with sunken bath).

And then there is Aberfoyle’s ‘Millennium Bash’. The Lodge does not use a telephonic system to call its residents to meals, instead they use their Millennium Bash, a gong (an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet) to sound the alarm.

The sound of the gong is unmistakable.

Aberfoyle Lodge was completed in 1960 initially as a Club for staff of tea estates in the area, but was later transformed into the Golf and Country lodge that — over the years — has successfully hosted both local and foreign journeyers.

But management still believes there is room for improvement:

“We are about to start a refurbishment programme in January and following from that we will be increasing our visibility,” added Atkins.

Set on the base of contiguous hills with stunning vegetation, Aberfoyle Lodge‘s environs are particularly ideal for birders and butterfly watchers and the lodge has an expert tour guide for these activities.

For those interested in rafting, Lucy Hucks who is also a manager at the Aberfoyle is a white-water rafting expert and guide. White-water rafting activities are carried out in the Pungwe River.

We were however unfortunate to arrive at a time when the river’s waters were still rather too low for wild water tubing and rafting despite as the rainy season having just commenced.

“The ideal season for rafting is actually between January and March when the waters are high.

“We have two rafts here, but if we have a big party we can bring in more rafts from outside.

Other activities at the Lodge include golf (of course), mountain-hiking, fishing and canoeing on Wamba Dam and ‘Zimbabwe’s first Tree Canopy Tour’ (more about this in another article). These are however for a fee.

Residents at the Lodge can enjoy free activities such as table tennis, billiards room, darts, swimming, pool, tennis and squash.

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